Straw Hat
by Feral Phoenix
Summary: Don't look at me like that, I'm not dressed like this by choice! But that IDIOT I live with... ergh, I'll get him for this, just you wait! Rated for crossdressing, general perversity, and yaoi. SwoM


Straw Hat

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Seiken Densetsu. I merely own quite rabid fangirlism of Seiken Densetsu. And a pervading infatuation with Stroud/Julius that may just be proof of how bizarre the minds of we yaoi fans work. …Though there is foundation for the pairing in Sword of Mana that survived the traditional translation and censorship for American shores… but that's beyond the point. I own the idea, not the game, and if you sue me, I have lots of homicidal muses who will butcher you. End of story.

"Because it's demeaning! That's why! And this entire thing is so idiotic! I _won't _be seen like this in public! No, no, no, _no!"_

Julius Vandole was the absolute portrait of defiance, standing in the doorframe with his thin shoulders squared, his small hands sharply clenched into furious fists, and a singularly mad gleam lighting the particularly murderous glare in his dark emerald-black eyes. He was a tiny thing, and delicate, but somehow, between the distinctly evil look on his face, the fact that his feet were wider apart than his shoulders, and the intense magical aura around him, he was making five feet and two inches of typically frail mage's body look utterly vicious. Stroud thought he'd never seen his partner this angry, not in all the years they'd worked together, and he might've been worried for his own safety—if not for the fact that the wholly _un_threatening getup the young mage was in efficiently ruined the effect.

Stroud looked the other man up and down yet again and shrugged, trying to bite back a smile which, he knew, would absolutely _infuriate _Julius if he let it show. "Come on, don't throw a fit," he said reasonably. "It's just a dress, Julius."

"JUST A _DRESS!" _Julius squalled, his face darkening to a near-burgundy shade of red, trembling out of sheer fury.

"It's not all that different from what you usually wear, is it?" Stroud asked mildly, raising one eyebrow as he folded his arms and tried desperately not to let on how much he was enjoying this.

"ROBES AND DRESSES ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THINGS," Julius raged at him. Stroud tried to turn the laughter he was suppressing into a cough, with very little effect. Stabbing a furious forefinger at his swordsman protector, Julius went on. "You can play your little games of dress-up _all _you want in private, but there is NO WAY that you are taking me outside in this… this… _this… _stupid thing!"

"Why not? It looks perfectly cute on you," Stroud teased, smiling crookedly.

"IDIOT!"

Hate it he might, but it was certainly true. The slim summer slip was made of thin fabric, and while it didn't exactly cling to the mage's body, it draped like silk, and it barely fell to his knees. It was a pretty forest green that went well with Julius' long, flame-red hair and brought out the color in his dark eyes, with a white bib collar that had a ruffled edge. Of course, the little green bow that decorated the collar was enough to send Julius into fits, though Stroud didn't see any problems with it.

It wasn't meant to be a particularly _sexy _dress, even, and Stroud still wasn't sure why Julius found it so repelling. Sure, it was sleeveless, so it gave you a nice view of the wearer's upper arms, if that was what you were into, and because it was fairly short, it showed a pleasant amount of leg, but Julius had no reason to be shy about _that _kind of thing—they'd seen each other naked enough times that it certainly wasn't a problem with modesty. Stroud had even gone so far as to provide Julius with the rest of the outfit—chunky sandals, a bright hibiscus flower tucked behind his ear, and a woven straw hat with a floppy brim. It was cute, and not at all unreasonable, but here Julius was, practically throwing a tantrum over having to wear it out of their _room._

"You make no sense sometimes," Stroud noted. "You've pranced around in far less than this, so you don't have any reason to be ashamed."

"You just don't get it!" Julius hissed, the flush on his face spreading. "Even if you'd given me a damn ball gown, I _still _wouldn't wear it into town! It's still crossdressing, Stroud, and I will _not _play your idiotic games _outside _where there are people watching!"

"No one's going to care."

_"Everyone's _going to care! And this idiot dress is just going to fly all over the place if there's any wind! And this hat is just STUPID! I don't understand why you keep _insisting _on the damn hat!"

"So don't wear it. You don't have to get all worked up about your skirts, either. No one's going to be looking at your underwear." Except me, of course. "Unless… there's some other reason you're afraid of flashing the world?" Stroud started to grin. "On the _airship, _you've let your usual robes fly practically over your head before and never made a fuss about it."

Julius' blush got steadily darker as he continued to glare at Stroud. "We were _alone _then, you stupid ass!"

Stroud let his wicked grin continue to grow. "But maybe there's some other reason, too?" He set his hands on Julius' waist, letting them crawl down his sides. "Like maybe having on the pair of panties I put out for you?"

Instantly, Julius shoved Stroud's hands off his hips, whirling in a flare of skirts and fiery hair and the furious glitter in his eyes before dealing his partner a vicious slap with the volume of a thunderclap. "You pervert!"

Stroud kept grinning as he felt his cheek, even through the sting where he was quite sure he'd be sporting a red mark. "Oh ho, you _are, _aren't you?"

"You sick _bastard," _Julius snapped, crimson with furious humiliation. But instead of landing the second slap as Stroud was expecting, he flashed out his left hand, firing a blast of magical energy from his palm that Stroud barely dodged.

"Touchy, aren't we?" Stroud taunted, laughing.

Julius let out a wordless cry of frustration, then swung around in a perfect pivot kick, snapping his right leg out from the hip. His sandaled heel barely missed the mark of Stroud's groin, and on seeing his failure to deal the crippling blow he sought, he turned sharply and flounced back into their room, slamming the door behind him.

Stroud winced as he heard the bolt turn and headed up to the door. "Hey—come on, I was just kidding! It's no big deal, _really! _Come back out!"

"Eat shit and die," came the venomous response. "You're sleeping downstairs tonight. See if you can't learn some damn decency."

Stroud cringed visibly. "Oh, come on! That's below the belt!"

There was no reply.

_"Man. _He's just so damn sensitive." Stroud gave the locked door in front of him a sulky look. "I didn't even get to see how those panties fit on him."

"I AM NOT WEARING YOUR DAMN PANTIES," Julius raged from behind the door.

"Jeez."

"JERK."

Stroud walked off, massaging his cheek.

Of course, the first person he ran into absolutely _had _to be the family maid.

Marley took one look at him and smiled. "The storms of spring, is it?"

"…Just don't even ask…"

owari :3


End file.
